Is the “best country” the only one that matters? Land of the free. The home of the brave. The best country in the world. The many names given to the United States of America indicate that the typical American considers his or her country to be the most powerful, the freest, and, overall, simply better than all others. Although the line between pride and nationalism is thin and dangerous, it is commonly believed that pride in one's country is an admirable characteristic. It can be, as long as it includes healthy criticism of American laws and policies when necessary, as well as respect for the progress and cooperation of other countries around the world. Unfortunately, American pride is often centered on superiority and ethnocentrism, an unhealthy way of evaluating other countries and cultures based on what Americans consider normal. The American tradition of ethnocentric thinking hinders international cooperation and understanding, creating stereotypes and misconceptions that harm all foreign peoples. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In American media, other cultures are often defined only by their perceived differences from American culture rather than their unique qualities, making it difficult for Americans to recognize similarities in foreigners. For example, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came to the United States from Nigeria to attend college. Her roommate, after only seeing the stark differences between her home and Africa, immediately expected someone she could never relate to, instead finding a girl who spoke the same language and listened to the same music as her (Adichie ). With such an emphasis on differences, people are trained to look for them instead of looking for similarities. If only Adichie's roommate had been made aware of the diversity of African culture, she would have had an immediate understanding of Adichie, who would have had a much smoother transition in this foreign country. If America prides itself on being a place where people can feel safe and achieve their dreams, Americans should create a welcoming and safe environment for every immigrant in the country, instead of oozing rejection and hurling insults. Even if, as in Adichie's case, the misconceptions created by American misunderstanding have not necessarily been harmful to her, as a foreigner, they can easily make outsiders feel ostracized and misunderstood, while also creating negative stereotypes of America. This vicious cycle caused by inaccurate cultural expectations inhibits cooperation between countries and creates an air of unease for all world travelers. Especially when outside the Western European sphere, the United States looks down on other countries that hold fundamentally conflicting views to its own. Because America holds its own values ​​as the standard, immigrants and refugees from needy foreign countries, such as Syria, are rejected based on this fear of the unknown. This is the moment when Americans' seemingly harmless ethnocentric views hurt, or even cost the lives of, foreigners. One man, Brandon Stanton, aims to counter Syrian misconceptions through a project called Humans of New York: Refugee Stories. By photographing and detailing the emotions and losses of refugees during their harrowing journeys, he manages to demonstrate the similarities between all human beings and, through these stories, cannot help but evoke empathy and compassion for people previously misunderstood or even feared. The refugee crisis is one of the most glaring examplesof the harmful American opinion that the “best country in the world” needs only to protect its own life and that no other life is as valuable as that of an American. This thought process, combined with fear based on ignorance, discourages aid to frightened foreign families, based on the underlying concern that they are simply too different. If only all Americans read Stanton's stories, perhaps the United States would begin to work towards global cooperation by participating in the international effort to help those in need, regardless of where they were born. If Americans only saw their “normal” culture from a different perspective, they would finally observe the ridiculousness of ethnocentrism and the division it creates between peoples. This is exactly what Horace Miner accomplished in his essay “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema.” In this work, Miner sheds light on how ethnocentrism transforms a culture into something strange and uncivilized, rather than something recognizable. Presenting American culture as having “aspects so unusual that it seems desirable to describe them as an example of the extremes to which human behavior can go,” Miner begins the essay with the image of a barbaric and bizarre group of people who obviously have nothing. in common with today's proud American (1). He goes on to detail customary American morning routines in a manner reminiscent of the magical rituals of a tribal group devoid of modern technology (2-5). By presenting American life in this way, it becomes clear that any culture can become something completely incomprehensible depending on how it is distorted. The way we see the world and others, if it is not based on direct experience, depends entirely on who transmits the information. It's easy to see how quickly stereotypes can form after reading the essay, because suddenly every person in the group Miner represents is the same. He does not note the variation between individuals or try to make them relatable to the reader, but instead succeeds in making Americans unattractive and delusional. The realization after analyzing this essay could force Americans to reconsider their superiority complex towards foreign countries and stop interpreting different as something that should be avoided rather than embraced. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Many Americans are working to help their fellow citizens wake up from media-induced delusions. Advocates like Brandon Stanton and Horace Miner, or immigrants like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, need only raise awareness of the disillusionment Americans have with the world around them. It may take global tragedies, such as the Rwandan genocide, or the more recent Syrian civil war, to spark compassion and a call to action in some Americans, but for others the same events may only serve to affirm their unfounded beliefs. A very common perspective in America often goes unnoticed, despite being one of the most dangerous reasons for rejecting other cultures. It's the idea that no foreign life is worth saving if it might put even one American life at risk. If it is not analyzed, it almost seems logical: obviously one must protect one's nation at all costs. However, looking more closely at the concept, one finds that one American life is valued as more valuable than hundreds, even thousands, of any other life. If you think about these lives in terms of people, regardless of nationality, it seems clear that saving many lives is worth the chance of risking one. Meaning what.